I am trying to confront my own generalizations about Asian drivers. I cannot escape the observation that many of the worst drivers on the road are Asian. They drive too slowly for conditions, change lanes without regard to traffic, stay in the left lane despite evidence that drivers are stacking up behind them. No, not ALL of them. But frequently, when traffic is fouled up because of a single car, it turns out to be an Asian driver. Stereotypes are, in fact, based on observations, and I have developed this one after sincere efforts at avoiding it. So, how can I see this behavior in a different light? My judgement terms this type of driver oblivious to the community of drivers around them, and non-caring of the resulting effects of their driving. Clearly, Asians are no less considerate of community than others of us. How do I rethink my observations so that I can understand them a different way? What can I learn that will help me understand this generalization in a different way?
Do some personal, basic, empirical research:
For a period of, say, one month, take note of every instance of bad driving that you see. Of course you should determine your criteria for “bad driving” ahead of time. Make your best effort to determine the ethnicity of the driver in each instance. Keep notes. Write down your data. Perhaps you will find a trend, but more likely you will get a good demonstration of the concept of “selective memory”.
Note: clearly this so called “research” is influenced by many things, most notably who the local population is. If you live in or around Chinatown, obviously it’s skewed because there are just more asians in the population.
What I was inarticulately trying to say was that I think my observations are accurate, but I need some way of thinking about them that doesn’t frame Asians as inconsiderate or oblivious, both of which are powerfully negative judgements. Is there something about learning to drive in an Asian country that would lead to this approach to driving here? And can these factors help me to see the current conditions in a less negative light? I’m looking for a version of cognitive therapy here - rethinking the situation so that my opinion of it changes.
When you figure it out, let me know.
I’ll be pleased to look at old men wearing hats in a different light. :mad:
Bear in mind, assuming you’re not a globetrotter, you only see but a tiny fraction of drivers, Asian or otherwise, on a limited route. Any observations you make or generalizations you sub/conciously fill are based on very small numbers.
Or, you could just tell yourself there is nothing inherent about being from Asian decent that makes one a bad driver. Having said that, maybe the rules of traffic in some Asian countries differ just enough that Asian immigrants from those countries may appear to be ‘bad drivers’ to Americans.
I am not an expert in traffic patterns in Asian countries.
This one’s easy. Just find a local car club (preferably a Honda or other speedy import club), and go to a race (sanctioned of course) or a show or meeting. Or even just go to the 7-11 and pick up an Import Racing magazine. Many Asians guys are into this stuff, and the ones that are could out drive you, and most of us here, any day.
I used to notice the same driving patterns as you did. Once you see a kid who can barely speak English run a 1/4 mi. in 11 seconds, it changes alot.
Hope this helps, if not some googling will.
Mostly, the driving in Asian countries is on the left hand side AFAIK, so thats why you see the Asians crowding on the left hand side. Its just instinct.
Well, even if that’s part of the explanation, let’s at least call it habit. Even I don’t believe that driving behavior is inborn.
Actually most Asian countries drive on the right.
Many Asians are bad drivers for two main reasons 1) Many of them came from countries where driving is a competitive sport. You have to drive aggressively to navigate small crowded streets or you won’t get anywhere. Also the rules of the road are quite different or lacking. Asians that learned to drive here aren’t much different from other drivers. 2) Many women did not drive at all due to economic and cultural reasons of the country they grew up in. Once in the US they find themselves suddenly having to drive in order to get anywhere. It can be quite scarry for them and everybody else on the road.
So don’t blame the people blame the countries they came from.
Youre right, habit is the word. my mistake.
Have a look at eh map you provided, Tito. Most Asian countries are in red, meaing they are left hand drive. The notable expections China, Burma (I think) and South Korea
I am and most East Asian does drive on the right including North Korea, South Korea, China, Taiwan, The Phillipines, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia and Cambodia. Besides, I’ve never heard the stereotype applied to south asians.
I just want to say I admire the drive for tolerance and self-improvement that triggered this thread. Well done, CC.
Just curious — if a driver is moving at the upper speed limit, would that be driving too slowly for conditions?
How nice to see a thread like this! I can imagine what its bigoted counterpart in the Pit would look like.
If it were me, I’d start by challenging my observations rather than by searching for explanations for them. I thus like Jayrot’s idea. You might *think *your observations are accurate, but doing empirical research as Jayrot suggests might lead you to discover that your initial observations were not so accurate after all.
Also, you say your observation is the many of the worst drivers you see are Asian, but you seem to assume that they are Asian immigrants (or visitors?) rather than 2nd or later generation Asian-Americans who almost certainly did not learn to drive in an Asian country. People replying to you have also assumed this to be the case. But where is *this *assumption coming from? Or am I missing something here?
You could start by not assuming all stereotypes are true based on this one 
Anyway, some DO have some truth. I’d do two things. (1) Observe carefully as suggested to see if worse drivers typically ARE Asian. (2) Consider reasons this might be so if it is - eg. (Hypothetical, false examples:) Most Asians in America might come from countries where the driving style is riskier. Or a lot of Asians might be doctors and rushing to emergencies. Or bigots might try to cut them off a lot. But probably NOT, they have squinty eyes, so they can’t see where they’re going
Exactly. I think that, over time, the word “stereotype” has come with it own set of bad connotations. Just because it’s a stereotype, doesn’t mean that it’s not true.
I’m not saying that what you’re observing is a true stereotype, but, I’m just saying that, it just might be true. For whatever reason.
Coul be a peripheral vision problem due to the obvious eye shape difference? Who knows.
Just like another stereotype where women are perceived as “worse” drivers than men. Yet, on average, a women’s auto insureance is less than that of a man’s. But, if one were looking for a reason for the stereotype, again, most women have more hair on their head then men and it could be interfereing with their peripheral vision.
Walloon, if I understand your question, yes, someone moving at the speed limit may still be going too slowly for conditions. For instance, if the traffic is all moving faster than the speed limit, then driving in the left lanes at exactly the speed limit is too slow for conditions. And, I am not suggesting that there is anything inherent in the genetics of Asians that leads to what I’m calling poor driving. I’m looking for a cultural explanation, I think. I will, as several of you have suggested, go back to my original “data” and recollect it. And if it turns out that my observations do not lead to the same conclusion, I’ll be done. However, if they do support my thesis, that bad drivers are often Asian drivers, I’ll be back at this same doorstep, looking for more ideas.
If none of you noticed CheekyMonkey613’s slight hijack, my experience, in a place where we have fewer Asians perhaps, is also that all of the above mentioned infractions are committed by old, white men, although fewer of them are wearing hats in recent years. These are most likely men who were born in the U.S., have driven on the right side of U.S. roads since they were sixteen years old, and probably subscribe to Car and Driver. . .
So what’s the deal with them?
…until the moderator puts us out of business…I think the old man one is pretty easy. You can’t drive as well when you’re older. You don’t see as well. Because of that, you may also consult your mirrors less often. You can’t whip your head around as fast. Your reflexes are slower. You aren’t as strong to yank the wheel. You’re probably shorter than you used to be and shortness is a limiting factor in being able to perceive your surroundings. You may have become over-confident after all those years of having people avoid you and your driving style, if it was bad to begin with. And maybe you’re hen-pecked by an old woman. That will undoubtedly be my own undoing some day.
xo C.